Lady&#39;s hat-fastening.



J. MORRIS.

LADYS HAT FASTENING.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.18, 1913.

1,144,561 Patented June 29, 1915.

THE RRRR IS PETERS CO.. PHOTO WASHING TON. u 4.

sra'rs 4i @FFTCE.

LADYS HAT-FASTENING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1915.

Application filed December 18, 1913. Serial No. 807,497.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB MORRIS, of 61 Oxford street, Sydney, in the State of New South l/Vales, Commonwealth of Australia, manufacturer, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ladies Hat- F astenings, of ,which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements 1n ladies hat fastenings and has for its object the provision of an exceedingly efficient device which is simple, durable, light and capable of ready attachment to the inside of a hat-crown.

The disadvantages incident to the use of the ordinary hat-pins are their liability to work loose and fall out when the hat is worn in the wind or when used with a hat made of a material which does not furnish a good frictional grip on the pin. Moreover, when the pins work loose the hat is liable to assume an angle which is by no means becoming to or desired by the "wearer, and, furthermore, their construction necessitates careful handling to prevent accidental injury to the wearers themselves or to others near by. Furthermore, the use of pins seriously damages the hat and its trimmings, which disadvantage the present invention entirely obviates as the fastening is located within the crown.

Now the present invention is thoroughly reliable in its action and possesses none of the above-mentioned disadvantages and it will permit of a hat being'easily andquickly placed on the head of a wearer and removed therefrom without disarranging her coifi'ure.

The invention broadly consists of a wire hoop or ring which is fitted neatly in the crown of a hat and provides a support for a torsional spring having an arm or loop to which is fitted pivotally a straight or suitably curved comb. The comb is so arranged that it will grip the arm or loop firmly when in its normal position and remain fixed until actuated by the wearer.

Locking members of special construction and design areused in combination with the comb to prevent thelatter and consequently the hat being accidentally displaced.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying sheet of explanatory drawings wherein Figure 1 isia view in perspective of one form of the fastening. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a slight modification in the construction of part of the fastening. Figs. 3 to 8 are views of constructional details of the fastening. Figs. 9 to 12 are views in perspective of further modifications in the construction of parts of the fastening. Fig. 13 is a view similar to Figs. 1 and 2 and illustrates a modified form of fastening.

In these drawings the letter a designates a ring or hoop of wire or other material shaped to fit within the crown of a hat a and be secured therein by stitching, by clips or other convenient means (not shown). The said ring a is provideed on top with a torsional spring 6 which is made by fixing a piece of wire to the ring a by the use of S- shaped clamping pieces 0, the said wire passing through the upper tubular members and the ring a through the lower tubes of the same, the spring I) being in a plane parallel to the plane of the ring a throughout a large portion of the circumference of the ring a.

The torsional spring I) may be made of one piece of wire having its ends bent upwardly and suitably connected.

The ends of the wire forming the ring a can be coupled fixedly by means of one of the said clamping devices a or they can be adjustably connected by a clamping device 0 see Fig. 8. The clamping device 0 grips the overlapping ends of the wire a sufficiently tight to retain the ring in any particular size to suit the crown of a hat to which it is to be fitted.

If preferred, the ring a can be made of a wavy outline as shown in F ig. 2 of the drawings and when made in this way it provides a better support for the rim or crown of the hat. By forming the ring a in the above mentioned manner it can be made to assume any desired angle by opening or closing the loops or curves as desired.

A portion of the wire 5 is bent upwardly at a suitable point to form a rectangularly shaped loop 6 having its central portion. strengthened by a tubular or other covering (Z formed integrally with a locking member al for retaining the hat fastening means in a desired position within the hat a in opposition to the diverse strains applied to the same when worn in the wind. The ends of the torsional spring 5 are inserted and retained in the tubular or rolled portion of the locking member (Z in a suitable way.

The wire to form the torsional spring b memb which is of good quality steel, is made with an upwardly and inwardly bent arm f formed integrally by looping up the wire at that point directly opposite the locking member (Z and to the upper end of said arm is pivotally fitted the said fastening er. The fastening member is constructed of two or more pieces of wire 9 and h, shaped into the form of a comb which is connected to the looped arm 7 in such a way that one or two of the inner members thereof will have a spring or frictional grip, on said arm 7 when in its normal or locked position.

The central or upper part of the looped arm f is made straight and provides a pivotal support for a plate 2' of special construction having its inner end formed into atubular bearing 7' through which the top of the looped arm 7 passes to effect a pivotal connection with the fastening comb. Said plate, furthermore, has its two side portions formed into tubular bearings and Z through which the. wires {1 and h respeo tively are passed and extended. to. form the teeth of the fastening comb. u

' The plate 2' and manner of the connection thereto of the wires and h are essential constructional features of my invention.

The inner ends of the teeth of the comb, or

the two inner teeth when more than two are employed, are bent upwardly at m and inwardly at n so that when in their raised and normal positions the inbent portions n plate 2' and provides a convenient means of operatlng the fastening and sald loop can be varied in construction and design to suit 7 different tastes or styles of hats.

The plate 71 is cut from flat sheet metal into the form shown in Fig. 3 of the draw ings and the lug portions 9 shown thereon are rolled over to form the bearings j, 70, Z and 7) before described.

The locking member al preferably used for the outer end of the comb is that illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 5 to 8 of the drawings. This locking member (Z is slightly arched and is of V-shaped formation in cross section with one of its sides inclining inwardly beneath the outer end of the comb while the opposite side forms the top and has. an inclination corresponding to and serves to limit the upward movement of the points of the comb. This locking member al is arranged so that when the hat is placed on the head and the comb slid through the wearers hair the outer ends of said comb rest thereunder. The corresponding side of the hat is then depressed site or inner end of said comb has been previously locked by forming a frictional or spring engagement with the said looped arm f. By this means a double and automatic" locking engagement is efiected at both ends of said comb lll il Il expeditious manner and practlcally at the same moment.-

The arm f and wires of the loop 6 are so arranged that the points of the comb.. teeth are pressed into the angle of the locking member when the fastening is in its normal position. a i

The inwardly inclined side ofthe locking member is pivotally connected to the top by hinges s and normally is retained in its correct relative position withthe topby means of a spring or springs 25. The springt oan be made in the form of a coil as shownm Fig. orone or more fiat springs u. can be used as shown in Figs. 10 and 11. I V

When a coil spring tis used it is mounted on the hinge pin 02 and one end of the spring-is arranged to bearon the top. and the other end on the inclinedside of the locking member I r l .l Vhen employl g a flat spring it has one endsecured by rivets or screws to the top of the locking member and the opposite end of the spring is. arranged to bear. on an out-.

wardly. projecting part 10 of the inwardly inclined side.

In both of the constructions above described the collapsible or inwardly projecting part of the locking-member normally is made to bear against an abutment member or members an by the pressure of the springs. The locking member CF and the comb can be molded or stamped out of metal, vulcanite, papier-mach or other similar mate,- rial and can hey-connected directly to, the upper end of the loop 6 and arm 7, respectively, in an approved way.

In lieu of employing a locking member 6Z as before, describedthe central part of the loop 6 can-be furnished with a piece of tubing was shownin Fig. 13, which tubing serves to strengthen the loop and to. connect the ends ofthe wire forming'the same. The head-lining can be sewn or otherwise secured to the, mug or hoop a and inserted into the crown fof'thehat'together with the i fastening means.

The wire fornnugthe loop 6 and arm f is set to insure the comb and locking-member being lifted and kept away from the scalp.

To aflix a hat fitted with that form of the neaththe downwardly inclined portion of invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings the wearer pulls the comb out of the crown of the hat and grasps the plate 71 or base of the comb between the finger and thumb. The comb is then in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l and when thrust sidewise through the hair it is released and the spring arm f carries it into the crown of the hat and incidentally pulls the hat down upon the head. a

When the comb passes into the crown and the hat is drawn down on the head the inner end of the comb engages the arm 7 or if it does not do so by the upward pressure of the arm a slight downward pressure can be put on that particular side of the hat and they will then readily engage each other. The points of the comb now lie bethe locking member d and to make the points of the comb enter the same that particular side of the hat is pulled or pressed downwardly until the wearer hears the click or slight sound caused by the comb teeth springing into their locked positions.

To remove the hat the wearer with a finger holds the loop of the finger piece 0 and with the remaining fingers of the same hand presses upwardly on the underside of the ring a or adjacent part of the hat crown. These opposing pressures cause the inner ends of the comb teeth to be disengaged from the arm 7 and the hat to be raised at the side thereby permitting the comb to be slid outwardly until free of the hair.

Directly the points of the comb are clear of the locking member d that side of the hat can be raised to prevent it touching the hair when the hat is passed over the head to permit of the comb being moved clear of the hair.

The comb, arm and locking member are curved or shaped so that when in their normal positions they will lie well within the crown of the hat and thereby insure every comfort for the head of the wearer while an additional feature is that the fastening is so constructed and the parts thereof arranged that it may be secured to or be removed from a hat in one piece.

To remove a hat having a fastening furnished with a locking member having a collapsible side as illustrated in Figs/9 to 12 all that is necessary to release the points of the comb therefrom is to press upwardly on the side of the crown below the said member.

The upward pressure causes the inwardly inclined side of the said locking member to be forced outwardlyas shown in Fig. 11 thereby permitting it to be moved upwardly past the points of the comb.

The strength of the spring or springs must not be sufficient to cause an undue pressure or strain on the hair nor weak enough to permit ofthe comb becoming disengaged from the locking member when the hat is worn in the wind. 7

When the comb has moved out of engagement with the locking member the collapsible side thereof is returned immediately to its normal position and the hat can be raised sufficiently high to permit of it being slid sidewise to remove the comb from the hair.

When the locking member is constructed as above described the finger-piece 0 can be dispensed with or made much shorter and used only when pulling the comb out of the crown preparatory to placing the hat upon the head of the wearer.

To affix a hat fitted with that form of the invention shown in Fig. 13 on the head, the wearer grasps with the finger either the finger piece 0, the inner ends of the teeth of the comb, or the upper end of the arm fusing the loop of the finger piece 0 as a leverage and pulls downwardly. This action unlocks the teeth from their engagement with the upper end of the looped arm 7 and causes the latter to swing downwardly and carry the comb clear of the crown (as shown by the dotted lines).

The locking member 7* is pulled downwardly out of the hat crown and when the hat has been placed in a correct position by passing the comb laterally across the head of the wearer the said comb is released and the torsional strain on the Wire 1) will draw the arm 7 and comb into the crown and consequently the hat downwardly to the head of the wearer.

Two of the wires of the comb are bent inwardly toward each other as indicated at n so as to have a less distance between them than that of the width of the loop f. Consequently when the parts are pressed upwardly into the hat the loop f springs these wires apart in order to arrive at the position shown in full lines in Fig. 13. The comb is thus interlocked with the loop 7 because the inner wires of the comb now overlap and press against the sides of the loop sufficiently tight for the usual situation. The part 12, of the wires of the comb thus being in front of the loop 7 as regards the direction of stress given the loop by the spring I), the loop presses against the part a so as to hold the comb firmly in place, so far as one end thereof is concerned. The other end of the comb is held and supported by the member r.

When the comb has been thrust through the hair the locking member 1 is released and passes or is passed upwardly into the crown of the hat so as to be beneath the ends of the comb teeth. The locking member will prevent the hat being accidentally lifted at the sides or displaced unless an unusual amount of force is applied thereto. The hat now can be adjusted easily to a desired position by the wearer without inconvenience or disarranging the hair in the slightest.

To remove the hat, the wearer grips the finger piece 0 or inserts the fingers into the crown to grip the armor comb which is then pulled downwardly and outwardly until it is clear of the locking member 1" when that side of the hat is raised and then moved or slid across the top of'the head to take the comb out of the hair and remove the hat.

What I do claim is -1. A ladys hat fastening comprising an arm, a comb pivoted to and normally having a frictional engagement therewith, a spring adapted to control said arm, and a locking device engaging the points of said comb whenin its normal position within the crown of the hat.

2. A ladys hat fastening comprising a curved'torsional spring, a ring to which said spring is fitted, said ring adapted to be secured within the crown of a hat, a depressible'arm on said spring, a comb pivoted to and normally having a frictional engagement with said arm, and a locking device on the opposite side of the spring, normally covering the points of the comb, substantially as described. I I

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses. I

" JACOB MORRIS.

WVitnessesz' p f A; JvGALLINAN JAMEs'H. ANDERSON.

Copies of this patent: may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, washingtom Dgfl. l 

